Dottie Toler

Dottie Toler always loved the Pacific Northwest nearly as much as she loved coffee. After retirement, she spent a couple of decades in an RV, spending most of her time on the Oregon and Washington coasts, traveling with her dog and her parrot. Eventually she settled in Newport Oregon until 2019 when she was involved with one last RV road trip with her gracious son Larry, moving her to spend her final days with her loving daughter Susan.

Dottie is survived by her brother Don, her children Larry and Susan, her vast Texas family including her most beloved, also red headed, grandson Colten & granddaughter Dusty who cared, loved and 'worked' with her; and her daughter in all but genetics, Debbi; her exchange student son Didier & her step daughter MaryAnn. Her beloved dog Angus went across the rainbow bridge a few months ahead of her to scout the way.

Dottie was born in 1930 in Douglas Arizona, grew up in California, earned her RN at St. Francis in San Francisco, after which she and her friends Sue and Bobbi started on a trip working their way around the world as nurses. Sue and Bobbi made it as far as Seattle before they were married, Dottie then went to New York where she met her first husband. After a brief sojourn in Cleveland Ohio where their son Larry was born, they moved to San Jose where their daughter Susan was born. She raised a family in Felton, nestled in the redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains, where she divorced Mark, eventually married her second husband Vern, and traveled the world. After Vern passed on, Dottie stayed in the Northwest year round.

People who knew her in recent years knew of her activities with the Red Hat society. In addition to her career as a nurse, including surgery, neonatal and ICU nursing her activities and interests throughout her life would fill a long and diverse resume. Her menagerie of pets even included an otter. She earned her ham radio license in the 1950s, collected rocks, was an avid photographer and the hats she crocheted for those she considered family were legendary. Long before fusion cuisine became a thing her culinary adventures were unconstrained by culture or custom.

Dottie was a woman of countless pursuits, many of which she did better than most.

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